Linda+Dizer's+Schools

 = = = Questions Asked: = 1. Can an AP class and an IB class be operated in the same classroom? Is this counterintuitive? 2. What IB courses does your department offer and at what level? (**this can be gotten from most websites)** 3. What are the downsides to having an IB program? 4. What additional, if any, stresses are placed on students and/or faculty? (**see George Mason's website link to stress articles)** 5. How has the addition of an IB program affected your overall curriculum? Departmental offerings? Scope and sequencing? 6. Are grauation requirements different for an IB student than for a regular student? 7. How do you assess? Is assessment different for an IB student? For an AP student? For a regular student? 8. To what extent and expense must faculty be trained to teach an IB course? How many faculty do you have teaching in the IB program? How rigorous is the training? Is there any online training? 9. How does the external testing through the IB organization work? 10. If your school is new to the IB program, how were your faculty members trained? Workshops? On-line? Combination? 11. How different is the IB course from the AP or regular course of the same name? 12. Are all your academic deparetments equally pleased with the move to an IB program? Why or why not? 13. If you offer only the Diploma Programme (11th and 12th grades only), are there prerequisites/requirements for the IB courses? 14. How do you prepare your 7th - 10th grade students for participation in the IB program? 15. If a student leaves your school prior to graduation, does the IB credit transfer easily? 16. How has your parent community responded to the IB program? 17. What do you wish you had know about the IB program prior to implementation that you did not know to ask? =COST: =


 * pays for IB Diploma candidates and IB Certificate students who take at least 2 HL exams.


 * They do not pay for SL exams for Certificate students

Galileo Magnet School, Danville, Va:

 * 1 exam= $215, 2 exams = $301, 3 exams = $387
 * 4 exams TOK fee and extended essay fee = $345


==CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) ASSESSMENT: When does this occur? Who monitors CAS projects ? ==


=Very Important Information:= The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is an internationally recognized program of studies which is available to highly motivated 11th and 12th grade students at George Mason. The program offers the rigor, the structure, and the experiences necessary to challenge academically talented students. Students in IB classes complete a series of examinations based on internationally established syllabi. The IB program comprises a holistic philosophy of learning that seeks to address the intellectual, philosophical and social development of the student. The IB is a two-year program of studies across disciplines, the components of which are: For more information, visit the [|IB website]  ** Components of the IB Diploma Plan ** George Mason High School Program of Studies //George Mason HS offers the following IB courses. To fulfill the requirements for the IB Diploma students must take one course from each of groups 1 to 5 and a further course from group 6 or a second from groups 2 through 4.// HL: Higher Level, SL: Standard Level
 * This was worth copying from the George Mason Site:**
 * //Successful completion of courses in six different subject areas//
 * //External assessments and examinations in each area//
 * //Participation in the CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) Program//
 * //Completion of the Theory of Knowledge course//
 * //The writing and submission of an Extended Essay in an area of interest to the student//
 * IB Program at GMHS**
 * George Mason was authorized as an IB school in 1981 and was the first IB school in Virginia.
 * At George Mason over 70% of the juniors and seniors participate in the IB program.
 * In recent years between 10% and 29% of GMHS seniors have earned the full IB Diploma with an average of 32 points.
 * Over 30 subjects and levels of IB classes are offered in all academic departments as well as in the fine and performing arts.
 * In order to create schedules that best meet their needs, students may combine classes in the IB program with those from other GM programs such as CP (College Preparatory), career and technology education, English as a Second Language, Special Education, and Arlington Career Center.
 * Group 1: English** //(A1 [HL])—//including selections from world literature
 * Group 2: French, Spanish and English** //(ESOL)(A2, B, [HL and SL] 'ab initio' [SL])//—Students are placed into the appropriate level depending on their level of achievement and prior experience in the language.
 * Group 3: Individuals and Societies**—History of the Americas [HL], Psychology [//HL and SL],// Social Anthropology [//SL],// Information Technology (ITGS) [//SL],// and Business & Management Studies [SL]
 * Group 4**: **Experimental Sciences**—Biology [//HL and SL]//, Chemistry //[HL and SL]//, and Physics //[HL and SL]//.
 * Group 5**: **Mathematics**—Math HL, Math SL, and Math Studies //[SL](old 'Math Methods'),// Computer Science //[HL and SL]//
 * Group 6**: **Arts and Electives**—Visual Arts //[HL and SL)]//, Music [//HL and SL]//, Theater Arts //[HL// //and SL]//, or a second subject from Groups 2, 3 or 4 or Computer Science

Edison High School Falls Church, Virginia 1. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Can an AP class and an IB class be operated in the same classroom? Is this counterintuitive? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> It depends greatly on the course. A very experienced teacher who has taught AP and fully understands the requirements of IB might be able to do this for HL level courses where the content is very similar. SL classes do not have an AP equivalent in most cases. The teacher would need to teach IB and supplement missing AP content is any is needed. I have found that my IB Chem. students who choose to sit for the AP exam do very well but I don’t know if that would be true in all subject areas. What won’t work is teaching the AP curriculum and sitting for IB exams. IB focuses much more on processing information that needs to be practiced often in the course for students to perform well. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">2. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What are the downsides to having an IB program? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> It’s expensive and requires a greater commitment on the teachers part to manage both the internal and external requirements. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 3. What do you wish you had know about the IB program prior to implementation that you did not know to ask? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> We were very well informed and knew what we were getting into. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 4. What additional, if any, stresses are placed on students and/or faculty? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> For faculty, it will require them to have good communication and planning between teachers of the same subjects and the internal assessments between teachers must be consistent. For the IB works, teacher must use the IB rubrics for assessment standards not their own (which for some teachers can be an issue). For students, they usually start with lower grades than they are used to and you need to really work on them to stay in because they will improve with time and effort. For students who are full diploma, they need lots of help with time management skills and dealing with stress. Procrastination is a far greater problem in IB because each class has both external and internal assessments. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 5. How has the addition of an IB program affected your overall curriculum? Departmental offerings? Scope and sequencing? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> We have a lot more singletons in our master schedule which makes scheduling a challenge at times. The IB assessment standards and philosophy have filtered down into most of our preparatory classes so we have a much more cohesive program over all. Sequencing has not been affected. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 6. Are graduation requirements different for an IB student than for a regular student? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> No <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 7. How do you assess? Is assessment different for an IB student? For an AP student? For a regular student? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> It depends on whether you are referring to their HS grade or their IB grade. The IB grade must be different. As to assessment for the HS grade that varies greatly form teacher to teacher. I think if you are going to train students to perform to IB standards throughout the course, it would be difficult to use the normal HS assessment standards. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 8. To what extent and expense must faculty be trained to teach an IB course? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">IB requires teachers to be formally trained every 5 years. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">How many faculty do you have teaching in the IB program? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">33 <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">How rigorous is the training? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">It is usually 3-4 days and it is very thorough. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Is there any online training? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> IB is beginning to offer some of it’s training online and that will be expanding each year. The face to face training (especially initially) is valuable in that you work with teachers from all over the world. It is very illuminating and reinforces the international aspects of the program. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 9. How does the external testing through the IB organization work? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> The same way as AP, it just takes longer. The good thing about IB is that their IB grade doesn’t just rely on one test on one day. Generally each test is over two days and they average in the work from the internal assessments as well. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 10. If your school is new to the IB program, how were your faculty members trained? Workshops? On-line? Combination? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> Mainly workshops, we’ve only had 1 teacher do online training. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 11. How different is the IB course from the AP or regular course of the same name? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> It depends on the subject matter. You really need to look at the curricula side by side. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 12. Are all your academic departments equally pleased with the move to an IB program? Why or why not? 13. If you offer only the Diploma Programme (11th and 12th grades only), are there prerequisites/requirements for the IB courses? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">They usually need the introductory courses in each subject area. They need to be at least level 3 of a language before entering an IB language which can be a problem if they don’t take the language in 8th grade. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 14. How do you prepare your 7th - 10th grade students for participation in the IB program? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> The IB MYP program is great if you can do it. If not internal staff development training by IB teachers for other teachers helps everyone understand the nature of IB and what students will be expected to do when they get there. Then other teachers can be tasked with looking at ways of modifying what they do to help students to be better prepared. Modifying the I rubrics to fit their courses and grade level helps. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 15. If a student leaves your school prior to graduation, does the IB credit transfer easily? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> In most cases yes is the schools offer similar subjects. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> 16. How has your parent community responded to the IB program? <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> Most really love the program and we get about 20-40 pupil placements from other schools at each grade level. The parents who tend to complain fall into two categories, one those who would complain no matter what you offered and those that think that AP automatically gets you college credit (the biggest myth we fight). The only other ongoing issue is that of lower grades and the effect on GPA’s. We have weighted grades so it shouldn’t be that big of an issue but we are in the DC suburbs and too many parent’s expect all A’s and B’s.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Kathy Shanks, IB coordinator <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Galileo Magnet School Danville, Virginia

1. Although we do not have AP and IB courses together, I hear of it being done frequently. IB courses are dictated by very explicit course syllabi. I planning to offer the courses together, the teacher needs to be sure that he is covering both syllabi thoroughly. 2. The downside is the cost. Additionally, when an IB teacher leaves, another must be trained immediately. 3. I wish that I had known the work and time involved in the application process. One should expect to commit to a minimum of two years just to get through that process. 4. The stress of long testing sessions and numerous assignments due simultaneously, especially during the senior year, is quite stressful for the students and faculty members. Becoming familiar and knowing the expectations from IB can be quite stressful for the beginning IB teacher. 5. Our curriculum is much more stringent. We have raised the bar in the lower levels to better prepare our students for the DP as well. 6. IB requirements are quite different. In addition to the state requirements, if students are earning an IB diploma, they must successfully complete all internal assessment work, sit for all IB exams, complete 150 CAS hours, complete a Theory of Knowledge class and requirements, and research a 4000 word extended essay. 7. Assessment is done in numerous ways. We are required to use IB assessment criteria for a number of assignments. We also use district grading methods. We do not give separate report card marks for IB, though some schools do. 8. Any teacher anticipating teaching an IB course must go to IB training. The workshops are approximately $600, and they normally are 4 days in length. This is the minimum required. Normally, teachers ask for additional training. We currently have 7 IB teachers and as the coordinator, I also teach TOK (theory of knowledge). There are online training opportunities, but these normally do not count as required training. The online courses I have taken via IB have been quite useful. 9. The test dates and are delegated by IB, and they cannot change unless under the most extreme circumstances. Registration takes place in the fall; I have almost finished this process. Then, exams are sent in mid April. Depending on the subject and level (IB has higher level and standard level courses), exams for each subject are normally 3 to 51/2 hours in length. 10. I encourage my teachers to take advantage of the additional online training opportunities. 11. I do not know enough about the AP courses to objectively answer this. My teachers who have had experience in AP feel that IB is somewhat more rigorous, and much more research/critical thinking skills are required. 12. We opened with the intentions of becoming an IB school. 13. We currently offer the IB Middle Years Programme. That helps our students prepare for the Diploma Programme. We do have prerequisites and requirements. 14. As I mentioned earlier, we strive to ensure that all students who are anticipating entering the Diploma Programme are being adequately prepared for the challenge. Students must take cell biology, chemistry, government, precalculus, and 4 years of language (French or Spanish) in grades 9 and/or 10 as prerequisites **in addition** to the state required coursework. 15. We have had few occurrences with this. In one instance, a student transferred to another IB school in another state. Her credits easily transferred. 16. Our parents support the programme. I think that parents need to know that the IB programme is rigorous. Students are expected to perform at the college level in most classes. The expectations and assignments can be humbling at times for parents and students. Students are assessed by standards that are used in some of the most rigorous schools in the world. The internal assessments and externally marked exams are sent to examiners from all over the world as well.

=<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">School Web Sites: =

George Mason High School 7124 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA

Contact: Mr. Asheesh Misra, IB Coordinator 703248 5590 misraa@fccps.org []

Science Hill High School 1509 John Exum Pkw Johnson City, TN 37604 Contact: Dr. Selene Hardin, IB Coordinator 423 232 2147 hardins@jcschools.org [|www.jcschools.org/shhs] has an excellent PowerPoint

Marietta High School 1171 Whitlock Ave. Marietta, GA 30064 Contact: Debbie Woolard, IB Coordinator 770 428 2631 ex 3031 dwoolard@marietta-city.k12.ga.us []

Galileo Magnet High 230 South Ridge Street Danville, VA 24541 Contact: K. Shanks krenyer@mail.dps.k12.us 434 773 8186 Website not very helpful

Thomas Alva Edison High School 5801 Franconia Road Alexandria, Va 22310 Contact: Caryn Galatis no email or phone given school phone is 703-924-8000 703-924-8097 fax []